Livingstone attacks President Bush
London Mayor Ken Livingstone
has launched an astonishing
attack on US President George
W Bush, calling him "corrupt".
Mr Livingstone made his attack
during an address to
schoolchildren in a debate on the
Iraq war.
He said he would get as much
pleasure from Mr Bush being
forced out of office as he had
done from the downfall of former Iraq leader Saddam Hussein.
The outburst was immediately
criticised by London politicians
who fear a negative effect on the
mayor's efforts to attract
American tourists here.
Mr Livingstone was answering questions on the Iraq war and
other subjects during a two-hour meeting with 200 schoolchildren
at City Hall on Thursday morning.
'Red mist'
After making a pointed reference to Mr Bush, he was asked by
Channel 4 broadcaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who was chairing
the meeting, to explain his making a personal attack on the US
president when he disliked answering personal questions
himself.
The mayor said: "I think George Bush is the most corrupt
American president since Harding in the Twenties.
"He is not the legitimate
president."
He later added: "This really is a
completely unsupportable
government and I look forward to it being overthrown as much as
I looked forward to Saddam Hussein being overthrown."
Conservative mayoral candidate Steve Norris described Mr
Livingstone's attack on President Bush as "utterly irresponsible".
"The red mist comes down and his judgement flies out of the
window. He has no right whatever to insult President Bush," he
said.
"He has every right to his own view but not to express it when
he is mayor of this city."
But Mr Livingstone later played down notions his comments could
have an effect on tourism.
The mayor said it was as ridiculous as thinking British tourists
would be put off some holiday destinations because of the
opinions held of Tony Blair by local politicians.
Asked about Mr Livingstone's comments, White House Press
Secretary, Ari Fleischer, said: "First of all, I've never heard of the
fellow. Second, I'm not going to dignify it with a response."
And in a statement, officials from the US embassy in London,
said: "Mayor Livingstone's opinions about the United States are a
matter of complete indifference to the American embassy, the
American government and the American people."
Ari the lier knows DAMN WELL who this guy is....he's been in office FAR longer than any Tony the Lap Dog Blair
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